ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany men's basketball team is set to travel to Pennsylvania this Tuesday to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The game is set to tip at 7:00 p.m. in Lehigh's Stabler Arena. The matchup will be available on ESPN+ and broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
 
Game Info
Tuesday, Dec. 21 – at Lehigh
Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.  
7:00 p.m. EST
ESPN+ | ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats
 
Head Coach Dwayne Killings on Lehigh
"Tuesday will be a great road test for our program both physically and mentally as we enter the holiday break. Lehigh is a very well coached and experienced team coming off an extended COVID-19 pause."
 
Leading the Pack

• The Great Danes are averaging 57.8 ppg, with opponents averaging 68.5 ppg. The team is shooting 39.4% from the field, 29.0% from three, and 67.3% from the charity stripe.
• The Great Danes have more steals than their opponents, with 80 in favor of UAlbany and 68 in favor of their opposition. The team trails in rebounds, with opponents out-rebounding UAlbany 425-334.
• De'Vondre Perry leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 ppg and shooting 47.9% from the field. He has shot 32.4% from three-point range and has pulled in 5.5 rebounds per game. He is averaging over 33 minutes per game on the court.
• Matt Cerruti leads the team shooting from beyond the arc, shooting at a clip of 44.7% (21-47) from three and averaging 4.3 attempts from deep per game. He is second on the team with 9.5 ppg, shooting 42.4% from the field.
• Jamel Horton leads the team in assists per game (4.2).
• Now three-time America East Rookie of the Week Justin Neely is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.8 per game.

 
Scouting Lehigh
Lehigh comes into Tuesday's contest with an overall record of 1-8, having yet to play a conference game. The team's lone win has come against Columbia back on Nov. 23, a team UAlbany is also familiar with. Through nine games, Lehigh is averaging 64.8 ppg while allowing opponents 73.4 ppg. The team is shooting 43.3% from the field, 32.6% from three, and 71.0% from the free throw line. Three different Mountain Hawks have scoring averages in double figures – Evan Taylor (11.8 ppg), Jeameril Wilson (11.3 ppg), and Marques Wilson (10.8 ppg).
 
Lehigh is coming off an extended break, with the team's most recent scheduled game against Syracuse (Dec.18) getting postponed. Last time out for the Mountain Hawks, Juniors Reed Fenton and Jake Betlow each posted career highs in points (20 and 15, respectively), but it wasn't enough as the team fell 81-75 to visiting Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, Dec. 4 in Stabler Arena. Five Mountain Hawks scored in double figures, led by 50 combined points from three juniors, but Lehigh was outscored 42-34 in the second half in the defeat.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes last played on Saturday afternoon, falling to Niagara University 58-66.

• UAlbany shot 45.8% (22-48) from the field and 22.7% (5-22) from three. Niagara shot 44.7% (21-47) from the field and 33.3% (7-21) from three.
• UAlbany finished with 28 rebounds, Niagara finished with 29. Niagara also won the turnover battle, committing just 12 to UAlbany's 17.
• De'Vondre Perry led the Great Danes in scoring with 14 points, finishing with a team-leading seven rebounds along with two steals, two assists, and a block.
• Jamel Horton (12) and Jarvis Doles (11) also finished in double-figures for points. Horton and Matt Cerruti led the team with three assists each.

 
Justin Neely for THREE
Freshman Justin Neely has been named the America East Rookie of the Week three times this year, earning back-to-back titles on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29 and most recently on Dec. 13. The rookie is averaging over 19 minutes per game, fifth on the team, and sits tied for the team lead in rebounds.
 
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
It was recently announced that UAlbany had expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill. Coaches Dwayne Killings and Colleen Mullen, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'. 
 
Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Killings, Coach Mullen, student-athletes and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday. 
 
Meet Coach Killings
Dwayne Killings, a native of Amherst, Mass., begins his journey as Head Coach of the Great Danes after previously serving at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons. While at Marquette, Killings served under Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings' three years in Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.
 
Roster Changes
The coaching staff isn't the only thing that's new for the Great Danes. The roster has had a complete transformation from last year's squad, which made it to the America East Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Nine new student-athletes are suiting up in the purple and gold for 2021-22 - De'Vondre Perry, Matt Cerruti, Gerald Drumgole Jr., Paul Newman, Ny'Mire Little, Justin Neely, Aaron Reddish, Luke Fizulich, and Tairi Ketner. Returning for UAlbany is Will Amica, Trey Hutcheson, Jarvis Doles, Jamel Horton, Sam Shafer, and Chuck Champion.
 
Along with the coaching staff, these 22 men officially make up the 2021-22 UAlbany Great Danes. In total, 16 of these individuals are new to UAlbany.
 
Coaches' Poll
A completely new team, the Great Danes were picked to finish seventh in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 34 points. Stony Brook came in atop the list with 77 points and five first-place votes, just ahead of Vermont with 74 points and four first-place votes. New Hampshire rounded out the top three with 64 points and a single first-place vote.
 
Defending champion Hartford placed fourth with 56 points, UMBC placed fifth with 49 points, and UMass Lowell placed sixth with 43 points. Following the Great Danes' seventh-place spot was NJIT (23 points), Maine (16 points) and Binghamton (14 points).
 
America East Lineup
Conference action kicks off after the new year with the great Danes traveling to face Vermont on Jan. 2. The team plays their first America East game at home that same week with a matchup against Binghamton slated for Jan. 6. Other home conference matchups include UMass Lowell (Jan. 12), NJIT (Jan. 15), Stony Brook (Jan. 22), UMBC (Feb. 2), Maine (Feb. 9), Vermont (Feb. 12), New Hampshire (Feb. 19), and Hartford (Mar. 1).
 
Secure Your Tickets
This year marks a new chapter in history for the Great Danes, don't miss out! Season tickets for UAlbany basketball can be purchased by calling the UAlbany Ticket Office at (518) 442-DANE or by visiting UAlbanySports.com/Tickets.
 
FREE with your ID
UAlbany students are welcome to SEFCU Arena and get in FREE with their student ID! Coach Dwayne Killings and the entire hoops team encourage the UAlbany student body to come out and support the Great Danes all season long.
 
Social Central
Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on Twitter (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the season.